Belief
by Planet Mads
Summary: [Spoilers for recent Chapters.] Uzumaki Naruto and Nara Shikamaru. The friendship between them.


Title: Belief.

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

Rating: T – just in case.

Warning: Spoilers for up to the most recent translation.

Summary[Spoilers up to recent Chapters Uzumaki Naruto and Nara Shikamaru. The friendship between them.

1. Shikamaru is the first person to believe that Naruto will be Hokage.

Sure Kakashi-sensei and Jiraiya-sama could see he had potential to be great back then but they didn't see his potential to be _Hokage_. Shikamaru saw it. After the blonde's match with Neji the Nara knew that one day Naruto would be Hokage.

He_knew_ it.

2. Shikamaru tells Naruto before he leaves with Jiraiya-sama.

Konohana's most unpredictable Ninja had snuck out of the Hospital, yet again, when Shikamaru found him. They sit on the roof together, watching the stars, for a while before Shikamaru speaks.

"I worked out that the Kyuubi was sealed in you during yours and Neji's match."

Naruto turns to look at Shikamaru, stunned.

"I think you're going to make a brilliant Hokage one day."

Naruto doesn't ask why the Nara thinks that. Shikamaru doesn't offer an explanation.

The next day Naruto leaves Konohana with a small smile on his face.

3. Naruto will never tell anyone but the day he returned to Konohana with Jiraiya -sama the smiling face he was most looking forward to seeing was Shikamaru's.

He wanted to stand there and promise Shikamaru that he would become the greatest Hokage ever so that he could protect Shikamaru and all their precious people. Tell him he had got much stronger and was going to get stronger still. Till no one could ever threaten their village and the people within it.

There was no need; Shikamaru already knew when he saw him.

4. After his and Sakura's fight with Kakashi-sensei Naruto doesn't go home.

Instead, he wanders through the streets until he finds Shikamaru's house. He then clambers up the wall and through the brunet's open window. Shikamaru isn't surprised – in fact the boy is obviously expecting this because he pulls himself from the bed and reaches for the first aid kit on his nightstand.

Once Shikamaru has finished patching the blond up Naruto curls up on the bedding Shikamaru had put down on the floor for him earlier this evening.

"Welcome back Hokage-sama." Shikamaru whispers into the night.

Naruto falls asleep with a smile on his face.

5. Shikamaru really is as lazy as Hell.

"Tsunade-ba-chan's gonna kill'ya."

"Hm, you think?" Shikamaru rasps out.

Naruto nods against his shoulder, blood still dribbling from the wound he took to the head earlier.

"She told ya not to come after'me when I turned Kyuubi. Said it was dangerous. Why'd ya do it?"

Shikamaru stumbles along, completely Chakra-depleted and bone weary "Because she told me you were dangerous a year ago; that's more than enough time to find a way to help."

"Oh." Naruto mumbles, "That's why you spent so much time reading scrolls?"

"Had to find a way to counteract the poison in the Kyuubi's Chakra."

"Oh." Naruto mutters again. "'kay."

But for Naruto he'd do _anything_.

6. When Team Kakashi and Team Gai come back from saving Gaara Shikamaru is waiting for them.

Shikamaru grins at the two former teachers and tells them that Tsunade-sama is requesting their presence. Everyone moves away, chatting happily amongst themselves.

Naruto stays where he is.

Shikamaru smiles softly, claps a hand to the blonde's shoulder and steers him towards the Nara house.

It's only when Naruto is safely instead Shikamaru's bedroom that he breaks down.

7. He doesn't cry.

He falls to Shikamaru's floor, trembling though.

"It's gone; his monster is gone." Naruto's mutters, blue eyes looking up at the Nara desperately. "I want my monster to be gone too."

Shikamaru drops to his knees and hugs Naruto.

They stay like that for hours.

8. The moment is never mentioned again.

But sometimes Shikamaru can see the desperate look in Naruto's eyes. The look that says 'I'm saving everyone from their monsters. Why can't I save myself from mine?'

It's those moments when Shikamaru will, noticed by no one else, reach out for Naruto. A friendly clap on the back, a gentle ruffling of the hair, an affectionate swat to the head.

In those moments Shikamaru says, without words; 'It's okay, you can't save everyone. _I'll_ save you from your monster instead.'

9. The day Team Kakashi (but not really as Kakashi wasn't even _on_ the mission) come back from seeing Sasuke Naruto finds Shikamaru.

The blond doesn't say a word; he just drags the Nara to a training field and drops into a battle stance.

Shikamaru sighs and does so as well.

It doesn't matter that Shikamaru's taijutsu sucks or that he, really, should be working on the exam papers. All that matters is the desperate look on Naruto's usually happy face as he charges Shikamaru. The all-consuming need to forget what Sasuke said and did, even if it means getting himself knocked out, is imprinted in blue eyes.

Shikamaru can only sigh unhappily and comply.

Later when Naruto is so exhausted and Chakra-depleted that he can't even move the Nara staggers to his feet, throws Naruto over his shoulder and carries the blond to the hospital.

Tsunade-sama doesn't say a word when the brunet arrives on her doorstep.

10. When Naruto recovers he comes to visit Shikamaru at his family house.

He is surprisingly quiet for the first hour; just watching Shikamaru tend to the deer.

"Why do you think I would make a good Hokage?" He asks finally.

Shikamaru snorts and continues looking at the cut the doe has received. "You've been hurt so badly in life that you will be able to understand people like you and help them."

"More importantly, however," Shikamaru says, as he gets to his feet, "Is that the reason you were hurt is because the people of _Konohana_ hurt you. Yet you still want to protect them all anyway; there isn't another person in the world who cares as much as you do Naruto."

Shikamaru smiles softly at the blond. "You can save us all, from both our enemies and ourselves."

Naruto is, for once in his life, left completely speechless.

11. Naruto doesn't know but the only reason Shikamaru isn't a Jounin when he returns to Konohana is because of him.

The Nara knew that Naruto would need help in becoming Hokage. People are prejudiced and Shikamaru knows _exactly_ what the Council think of the Kyubi vessel. He knows Naruto will need a politician; someone who can outthink all of the people who might appose him.

So Shikamaru learns all about politics and how their system works. He puts learning ninjutsu and taijutsu to the side and works solely on his tactical abilities. He sneaks around and finds out the hidden secrets of every single Council member and works out how to use it against them all.

Naruto is going to be Hokage.

Shikamaru will make damn sure of it; even if it requires black-mailing the people that can't see past their own prejudices.

12. Shikamaru is ill once.

Seriously ill. Too the point where Tsunade-sama doesn't think the Nara will pull through. Naruto scoffs in her face and declares that Shikamaru is too strong to be killed; let alone by an _illness_.

Tsunade-sama tells him to be realistic; Naruto says he is. Despite the fact that the Hokage thinks it might be contagious Naruto still sneaks in to see Shikamaru anyway.

When Shikamaru pulls through Naruto gives the Hokage the finger and tells her she should learn to be more optimistic.

13. When Naruto and Sakura go to fight Sasuke Shikamaru does not go with them.

He sends a team of their other comrades (Neji, Kiba, Chouji and Lee) to take care of Sasuke's new _friends_though.

When Naruto walks into Konohana towing a beaten Sasuke behind him the whole village is in uproar.

Because, apparently, the entire council had originally decided to execute Sasuke if he was brought back. The only reason he is being put on trail is because Nara Shikamaru has been hounding them about it.

Naruto grins at Shikamaru when he sees him and the Nara promises him that Sasuke won't loose his trail.

Naruto doesn't doubt him in the slightest.

14. It takes a year for Shikamaru to work out how to remove the Kyubi from Naruto without killing him.

It takes the brunet a further year and a half to work out how to lock the Kyubi in another container – one that isn't a human.

For Naruto's eighteenth birthday Shikamaru gives him the gift of freedom.

15. When they go to take down Akatsuki Naruto is paired up with Shikamaru.

When Tsunade-sama and Jiraiya-sama don't report in after they break in to take Pain on Naruto – despite orders to stay put – goes in after them anyway.

Shikamaru follows him in.

When Naruto sees the man standing over Tsunade-ba-chan and Ero-sennin's dying bodies he rushes him.

It is, after a few times off being sent flying, that Shikamaru runs up to the bleeding blond and tells him he has figured out Pain's technique and he has a Plan. Naruto grins and they go to work.

Minutes later Naruto and Shikamaru watch as the Final member of Akatsuki crumples to the ground.

16. Of course, such an assault didn't leave either of them uninjured. In fact both boys were almost fatally wounded in the battle.

Lying in a pool of his own blood Naruto reaches for Shikamaru's wrist. He wraps shaky fingers around the brunet's bloodied arm and grins.

"If I'm going to die, I'd rather die with you by my side."

Shikamaru laughs till he coughs up blood; he understands.

Neither say anything more until the medic-nins arrive.

17. When they wake up in Hospital it is to find that they are now _Legends_.

They ask Tsunade-sama about it and she just laughs. "You two killed the Leader of an Origination that was planning on ruling the world. What did you expect?"

Shikamaru hates the new attention and ignores people when they refer to him as 'sama.'

Naruto relishes in the hard-earned attention and can't help but grin every time he is referred to as 'sama.'

Despite the differences in perspective both of them will only say one thing about the battle: "I couldn't have done it by myself."

18. Shikamaru isn't surprised when, a year after the defeat of Akatsuki, Tsunade names Naruto Hokage.

He knows that the injuries she has sustained in the battle have made her fighting abilities weak. That she doesn't think she could protect Konohana properly if they were attacked again. So she smiles and hands over the Title.

Shikamaru can only laugh at the stunned look on Naruto's face when she tells him he is going to be the Roudaime.

19. The first thing Naruto does as Hokage is go to see the Hyuuga clan.

He informs them, quite politely Shikamaru thinks considering the situation, that they are no longer going to seal the Branch family members.

When the Hyuuga Elders protests Naruto snorts and tells them that he doesn't care if they don't agree because he is making Neji head of the Hyuuga family and it's up to _him_ to decide.

The stunned silence of the room is broken by Hinata's delighted laughter. And while she and Hanabai congratulate Neji and tell him they're there to help if he ever needs it Naruto and Shikamaru leave the room.

They have other people to free.

20. The second thing Naruto does as Hokage is create a new position.

Assistant-Hokage is different to being the assistant to the Hokage. An assistant does paperwork for the Hokage and runs around taking orders from everyone. The Assistant-Hokage has enough power that the only person that can order them around _is_ the Hokage

When questioned Naruto informs people that Shikamaru is his right-hand man and he wouldn't have survived for this long without him. And he doesn't intend to start trying now. So he's going to create a powerful position for him even if no one else agrees because he _knows_ that Shikamaru is one of the best things that has _ever_ happened to this village.

No one asks again after that.

_End Belief._

I have an all-consuming obsession with NaruShika Friendship. It just yells at me, you know? I just can't seem to get the damn plot-bunnies out of my head; so I wrote one instead. Hope you enjoyed.


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